Loma in Chouteau County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
The Manitoba Railroad
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 14, 2019
1. The Manitoba Railroad Marker
Inscription.
The Manitoba Railroad. . The railroad grade you see before you was the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad, the precursor of the Great Northern Railway. In 1887, nearly 9,000 men constructed 550 miles of track across Montana's northern Great Plains between Minot and Great Falls in record time. The line connected with the Montana Central Railroad at Great Falls and gave Manitoba Railroad owner James J. Hill a profitable link to Butte and the surrounding mining districts. Hill offered more competitive freight rates than the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads in an attempt to undercut the powerful transcontinental lines. , As railroads competed for supremacy, Montana's cities vied for transportation facilities. Fort Benton had prospered as the head of steamboat navigation and the hub of freight and stage lines to settlements in Montana, Idaho and Canada. But the railroads initially bypassed Fort Benton and replaced steamboats as carriers. Fort Benton had to adapt to survive. In 1888, Fort Benton businessmen funded the construction of a bridge across the Missouri River. The structure funneled the lucrative Judith Basin agricultural trade into Fort Benton. The routing of the railroad into Fort Benton in the late 1880s gave it new life as a trade center and railroad shipping point rather than a steamboat port.
The railroad grade you see before you was the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad, the precursor of the Great Northern Railway. In 1887, nearly 9,000 men constructed 550 miles of track across Montana's northern Great Plains between Minot and Great Falls in record time. The line connected with the Montana Central Railroad at Great Falls and gave Manitoba Railroad owner James J. Hill a profitable link to Butte and the surrounding mining districts. Hill offered more competitive freight rates than the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads in an attempt to undercut the powerful transcontinental lines.
As railroads competed for supremacy, Montana's cities vied for transportation facilities. Fort Benton had prospered as the head of steamboat navigation and the hub of freight and stage lines to settlements in Montana, Idaho and Canada. But the railroads initially bypassed Fort Benton and replaced steamboats as carriers. Fort Benton had to adapt to survive. In 1888, Fort Benton businessmen funded the construction of a bridge across the Missouri River. The structure funneled the lucrative Judith Basin agricultural
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trade into Fort Benton. The routing of the railroad into Fort Benton in the late 1880s gave it new life as a trade center and railroad shipping point rather than a steamboat port.
Location. 47° 55.734′ N, 110° 30.829′ W. Marker is in Loma, Montana, in Chouteau County. It is on U.S. 87 near Lower Marias/Loma Ferry Roads, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Loma MT 59460, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Montana, in Missouri River Country, and specifically in Russell Country. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of
3. St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad construction gang
Credits. This page was last revised on November 11, 2019. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,421 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 11, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
